The Angels' Mike Trout, who leads the team in several offensive categories entering the All-Star break, figures to be among the leading contenders for the American League MVP award. (Keith Birmingham / Pasadena Star-News)

“It’s funny you say that because I found out it was on a Wikipedia page,” said Trout, who Tuesday will play in his third consecutive All-Star game at the tender age of 22. “I think someone added it and just put the name out there and people ran with it.”

This happened two to three years ago, Trout said, after he had starred for Millville Senior High in Millville, N.J. The moniker fits. A meteor streaks across the sky with spectacular speed. Trout has streaked to baseball superstardom in breathtaking fashion.

A five-tool player - his arm is good but not great - Trout has that special something that allows him to be a clutch player. With runners in scoring position, he’s batting .329 with an on-base average of .426, a slugging percentage of .684 and an OPS of 1.110.

“I think he has great composure,” said teammate David Freese, who knows a thing or two about clutch play, as he was named NLCS and World Series MVP when the St. Louis Cardinals won it all in 2011. “You’ve gotta bring your talent to the batter’s box, obviously, but to keep your heart rate down, to stay focused, to have a good approach, good plan in those situations, is tough to do.

“Not everybody is made for it. But Trout steps up on all occasions and he’s ready for it whenever it comes to him.”

Sitting at his locker in the Angels Clubhouse recently, Trout tried to explain his success under pressure.

“I think just controlling your emotions in a situation, then you can easily try to do something that you are not capaple of doing,” he said. “You know, telling yourself to do it, then you lose all your mechanics. You tell yourself to relax and be patient.

“The adrenaline rush you get in big situations, it’s pretty incredible, pretty intense. If you can cut it down and control your emotions, I think that helps you.”

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Angels right-fielder Kole Calhoun, 26, speaks in awed tones about someone four years his junior.

“He’s unbelievable,” Calhoun said. “He can beat a team in many different ways. He can do it with his glove, with his legs, with the bat. He’s a special talent. Guys like this don’t come around very often and he’s really fun to play next to and be on the same team with, especially seeing everything that he really goes through.

“He’s a superstar, and there is a lot of responsibllity that comes with that. And for a 22-year-old kid, I mean, he’s in this limelight since he was 20. To handle it the way he’s handled it, is something that really speaks loudly of his character not only as a baseball player, but as a person.”

Trout, who will turn 23 on Aug. 7, played in 40 games in 2011 but batted just .220 at age 19. In his official rookie season in 2012, Trout hit .326 with 30 home runs, 83 RBIs, 129 runs and 49 stolen bases. He was Rookie of the Year and finished second in MVP voting. He hit .323 in 2013 with 27 home runs, 97 RBIs, 33 stolen bases and 109 runs and again was second in MVP voting.

This year, at the all-star break , his batting average is .310 with 22 home runs, 107 hits and 73 RBIs - all team-highs. His on-base percentage is .400, he’s slugging .606 with on OPS of 1.005. To top it off, his WAR of 5.4 is best in the American League and trails only the Coloroado Rockies’ Troy Tulowitzki’s 5.6 for best in the majors.

Trout - at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds - is powerfully built. When color commentator Mark Gubicza was asked if Trout reminded him of anyone he played with while a standout pitcher with the Kansas City Royals in the ‘80s and ‘90s, two big names came to his mind.

“The one guy that I played with that everyone knows about was George Brett,” Gubicza said. “He would always be the guy you’d want up in every key situation. If you can glue Bo Jackson and George Brett together as far as athleticism and baseball skills and courage, toughness, you’ve got Mike Trout. I really have a tough time saying this about somebody who hasn’t done it for a long period of time, but he’s done stuff that I didn’t think anybody could do.

“Even though this is a short sample of what he has done in three years, what he’s done tells me that I’m OK saying that. And maybe I’m in the minority, but I love watching Yasiel Puig play; he does things that everyone wows about, too. But I think when you look at the athletic skills, baseball skills and the intangibles, there is no one quite like Trout.”

As much as Angels manager Mike Scioscia could speak all day about the tangibles, the intangibles seem to impress him as much as anything. Again, keep in mind that Trout is just 22.

“I think first and foremost he has a great supportive family,” Scioscia said. “I think he has a great perspective on what a privilege it is to play this game, the talent he has, and he enjoys it. He’s been able to separate what he does on the field with what his personal life is about and he’s obviously got a lot of friends on the team, a lot of friends that he grew up with that I think are all part of that support group, too.

“And he’s part of support groups for other guys. Just talking to players and being a mentor at such a young age. Mike, he’s a special guy.”

“There is really nothing he can’t do,” said Gibbons, whose team recently lost two of three to Trout and the Angels. “One of the top five players in the game. He does everything. He beats you any which way. And he’s young; it’s all ahead of him, too. He’s a guy everybody would love to have. He’s the guy you’d want to start your team with. He’s that kind of player.”

As each year passes, Trout becomes more and more confident, not that he has ever lacked self-assurance.

“You always build confidence,” he said. “Experience really helps, playing every day and just being part of a group like this. You know, winning. It doesn’t matter if you fly out or if you make a mistake, someone’s going to pick you up. You always stay positive, keep the negative out of it.”

Trout is such an extraordinary player, he didn’t even have to wait until he had been in the big leagues six years to get paid in a big way. Ahead of this season the Angels signed him to a six-year, $144 million contract extension that begins in 2015; he’s making $1 million in 2014.

Anyone thinking that this young man might not be able to handle all that dough without doing something foolish, think again. Sit down with Trout for five minutes, and it becomes clear that being a multi-millionaire won’t change him.

“You know, I’m very fortunate,” he said. “It’s gotta start with my parents (Jeff and Debbie). They always pushed for education to come first and sports comes second and I think that’s always helped me staying humble and being the best I can be in my sport and just staying out of trouble and keeping my head on straight. I’ve got a lot of great people back home; that keeps my head on straight.”

Trout was told he doesn’t seem the type to get into unsavory predicaments of any kind.

“You know, (one can) easily get a big head and with this contract, go blow all the money,” he said. “But I choose to be the same person I am and don’t get too cocky or anything. That’s what I like about this team as well, they help keep my head on straight.

“You’ve got great guys in the clubhouse to put you back in your place if you get out of hand. I try to avoid (trouble). I try to avoid all the bad situations and be in the right place.”

For “The Millville Meteor,” that place would be on the baseball field. Streaking across the outfield to make a catch, and around the bases after a big hit.